Metal Underground.com

Therion has stirred up the pot of controversy with “Les Fleurs du Mal,” scaring the fan base by publically acknowledging the band’s label wouldn’t release the album and starting promotion off with a rather outside-the-norm video for “Je n'ai besoin que de tendresse.” All this was apparently done on purpose, as Therion’s Christofer Johnsson has stated in interviews he wants to get people opposed to the release early, so it will get more press via the mostly-negative internet channels. Throw in the fact that these tracks are covers of French songs, and you’ve got something very unexpected for the fans to digest.

With all the self-induced criticism and claims of massive changes, the symphonic metal crowd justifiably has reason to feel trepidation, but honestly, it’s all a bunch of hot air. The album sounds like Therion, and despite the fact that these are cover songs, the whole thing feels like an incredibly natural progression from previous album “Sitra Ahra.” The French language vocals are actually the biggest change-up, with the remaining modifications to the base sound coming as expected changes, while Therion continues to evolve.

There’s a bit more of a rock vibe here and less of a straight-up metal one, but there’s still plenty of metal guitar work going on. It’s operatic and grandiose like “Sitra Ahra” was, and the singing continues to gain a greater focus on female vocals. As with the last several albums, much of the disc feels like the score to a play or something that would accompany a castle ballroom scene in an RPG. There are actually a couple of oddball tracks, like the carnival themed “Wahala Manitou” or the previously-mentioned “Je n'ai besoin que de tendresse,” with its high-pitched vocals and goofy rock and roll fun. However, considering there are a full 15 songs on the album, the proclaimed differences in style and sound have really been overstated.

The all-covers aspect may be a turn off for fans, but as Ulver has recently shown, a lack of original tracks doesn’t have to drag an album down. It’s also unlikely many U.S. fans will have ever heard the source material, so for many listeners, this might as well be an original album. For those who liked “Sitra Ahra,” or dig a little more rock and roll in their metal, Therion’s latest will continue to satisfy the symphonic metal craving.